Carrier-crate.



PATENTED MAY 29, 1906.

F. L. WETZEL CARRIER CRATE.

APPLIOATION FILED DEC. 8. 1904.

A'T T'Y'S "reg "had to 'the accomp anyi FREDERICK L. VVETZEL, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR TO COLUMBIA BISCUIT COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, A CORPORATION OF MISSOURI. r

CARRIER-CRATE.

To (ti/Z whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FREDERICK L. WET- ZEL, a citizen of the United States, residing at St. Louis, Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Carrier- Crates, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference bedrawings forming part of this specification, in which- Figure 1 is a perspective view of a crate constructedin accordance with my invention and containing two cake-boxes. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the crate with the boxes removed, and Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the crate knocked. down.

This invention relates to shipping-crates, and particularly to a crate adapted to contain a plurality of boxes such as are commonly used for displaying crackers, cakes, and other small articles, and one of the principal objects of the invention is to provide a crate which will conveniently contain a plu rality of these boxes in such a manner that said crates may be easily piled one upon the other.

Another object is to provide a handle which in practice will not project beyond the exterior of the crate, but will be in a plane below the top thereof, so that it will in no wise interfere with the proper packing of the crates in a car or vehicle.

Another object of the invention is to provide a handle which will efficiently serve as a medium for carrying the crate and also serve as a lock to hold the crate-sections in proper position.

A further object is to provide means whereby the crate may be conveniently knocked down for transporting.

Heretofore it has generally been the practice to protect the metallic display-boxes by a crate having two sides connected at the bottom by wires and at the top by similar wires, which constitute handles. In order to attach these wires, it was necessary to have projecting ends on the crates around which the wires might be bound. These projecting ends seriously interfered with the proper pil ing of the crates one upon the other for the reason that the crates could not be piled end to end, and if thrown down on their sides for Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed December 8,1904. Serial No. 236,007.

ratenteu may 29, 1906.

the boxes were more likely to become broken than when the boxes were in vertical positions.

It is the purpose of my invention to provide a crate which will serve as a carrier and be free from any projecting ends or any portions which project beyond the main body of the crate, so that the crates can be easily piled in their vertical positions, as well as in their horizonml m; ti o g In the preferred embodiment of my invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, the crate consists of two oppositely-arranged sides formed of longitudinals l and 2 for one side and those designated by the numerals 3 and i for the other. These longitudinals are connected intermediate their ends by the cross-strips 5 on one side and those designated by 6 for the other side The longitudinals of the respective sides are .connected by the-bottom cross-pieces 7 and 8, the lower edges of which lie flush with the bottom ends of the longitudinals 1 to 4, inclusive, when the crate is in its set-up position. The upper ends of the longitudinals 1 and 2 are connected by the cross-bar 9, while the longitudinals 3 and 4 are connected by a similar cross-bar 10. These cross-bars are on the inner sides of the respective longitudinals, while the cross-pieces 5 and 6 are on the outside of the longitudinals. As thus con structed the cross-pieces 7 and Sconstitute the bottom of the crate on which the boxes may rest. The inner edges of the longitudinals I to I overlap the corners of the boxes to bind them against accidental displacement and the cross-bars 9 and 10 rest on their tops, so that any'movenient of the boxes after the crate isproperly fastened around them will be prevented.

In actual practice it is important that the contents of the boxes receive as little jar or vibration during transportation as possible, and in order to avoid the liability of these crates being thrown around I provide a handle 11, whereby they may be carried. This handle consists of a curved bar or piece of wire (itsuflicieiit gage to possess the requisite amount of rigidity, said handle being secured at one end to the bar 9 by an eye 12. The opposite end of the handle is provided with an. eye which is adapted to project through a slot or opening 13 in the cross-bar the purpose of piling them the contents of 9, so that the spring-pressed bolt 14, carried by the bar 10, may pass into the eye and lock l I claim as neW, and desire to secure by Letthe handle to the bar 10 and at the same time form an efficient lock for the crate-sections,

' so that the crate will rigidly engage the boxes contained therein. This handle 11 is in a plane below the planes of the top of both of the bars 9 and 10, so that when the crates are in the positions shown in Figs. 1 and 2 additional crates may be piled upon them With out being obstructed by the handle. It Will be observed also that the tops of the bars 9 and 10 are flush With the tops of the longitudinals 1 to 4, so that there are no projections which'will interfere With the proper piling of these crates, although the handles may be conveniently grasped to carry the crates from place to place as occasion may demand. hen it is desired to return a crate, it may be knocked down, as shown in Fig. 3, on'account of the pivotal connections 15 between the longitudinals and the cross-bars 7 and 8.

Having thus described my invention, What ters Patent, is

A crate comprising tWo parallel sides each of which consists of two longitudinals connected by cross-strips, rigid cross-bars 7 and 8 connected by pivots 15 to the inner sides of the lower ends of said longitudinals, cross bars 9 and 10 connected to the inner sides of the upper ends of said longitudinals, a handle-piece 11 pivotally connected to the crossbar 9 and extending through an opening in the cross-bar 10, and a yielding locking device carried by the cross-bar 10 and engaging an'eye in the end of the handlepiece; substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I hereunto affix my signature, in the presence of tWo Witnesses, this 29th day of November, 1904.

FREDERICK L. VVETZEL.

Witnesses:

Jos. POLLACK, B. F. FUNK. 

